# Raazi (soundtrack)

Raazi is the soundtrack album to the 2018 film of the same name directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Dharma Productions and Junglee Pictures, starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. The film's musical score is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and lyrics written by Gulzar.
As with Meghna's previous film Talvar (2015), the film featured four songs composed by the trio, which was comparatively less than their previous compositions which had more than five songs. All the songs were curated in an organic manner, with the lyrics being written first and the tunes later. They further utilized traditional instruments, staying authentic to the influences of Kashmiri music.
The soundtrack was released under the Zee Music Company label on 11 April 2018 to positive reviews from critics, with the use of minimal numbers in the narrative, instrumentation and soundscape being complimented and Gulzar's lyrics attracted high praise. The album further won two awards each at the Filmfare, International Indian Film Academy, News18 and Zee Cine Awards, as well as three Screen Awards and a Mirchi Music Award for Lyricist of The Year to Gulzar.

## Development

Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the musical score and soundtrack to Raazi in their first collaboration with Meghna Gulzar. The album had four songs composed by the trio, comparatively less to their previous films which had more than five to six songs, as "Raazi is not the kind of film that can be packed with songs", according to Ehsaan Noorani, who further added: "[Meghna Gulzar] is true to her film and its script, and will not include a song unless it is absolutely necessary. We could have created a six-song album out of which two would not have been used in the movie, but that would have been a waste." Shankar Mahadevan added that all the songs were composed straight from the heart.
Raazi is set in Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir which had strong music influences and used in the soundscape of the film. Shankar Mahadevan added that "melodically, the scales that we used had Afghani and Middle-Eastern influences. That's evident in the title track sung by Arijit Singh and Dilbaro, which starts with a Kashmiri folk song." The trio used rabab and Afghani and Kashmiri instruments such as udu pots, hand drums and frame drums; these instruments were earlier used for Mission Kashmir. They also refrained the use of electronic instruments, despite the popularity of electronic dance music during late-2010s.

## Composition

The song "Ae Watan" was demanded crucial to the story, whereas the title track "Raazi" takes the story forward; Gulzar stated that he wanted "Ae Watan" to become the song of the nation, adding "It speaks for all of us and it speaks without any prejudice. People keep asking what nationalism is all about. Well, one can define nationalism through this song." The composition of "Ae Watan" began first with lyrics, which Gulzar had written first, before the entire track was curated, as the song dictated the melody. All the songs were curated in the organic manner.
The trio composed "Ae Watan" in Gulzar's living room and completed within five minutes, though the portion "Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua" written by Islamic philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal, was used later onwards by Gulzar, it was included seamlessly so that "people from both sides of the border can sing it. That is the beauty of it – there is no prejudice of the border in this song. The film might be based on a historical incident, but it does not promote any kind of prejudice or bias."
The song "Dilbaro" is a traditional number, which had influences from Kashmiri folk, which according to Gulzar, reflected the theme of the film. A particular line in the song, "ungli pakad ke tune chalna sikhaya tha na, dehleez unchi hai yeh paar kara de" (transl. you taught me to walk by holding my finger, the threshold is high help me cross it), according to Mahadevan, "can apply to any song based on bidaai (transl. parting)" but in the film's context, "you are talking about a daughter whose father is sending her as an Indian spy to Pakistan. She gets married and crosses the border, not just as a bride, but also as a spy. She tells her father, ‘This dehleez (transl. threshold) is too high for me, please help me cross’. What a way to interpret two distinct thoughts in the same vein."

## Release

The soundtrack was released through Zee Music Company on 11 April 2018.

## Reception

Vipin Nair of The Hindu described the album as "a gem of a soundtrack". Debarati Sen of The Times of India wrote: "the 18-minute-long soundtrack of Raazi, is a medley of tunes and is a must for music lovers and Gulzar fans." Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated four out of five, and summarized it as "a short, sweet album well in keeping with the film’s theme and makes an effective comeback for [Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy]." Devarsi Ghosh of Scroll.in stated "Raazi’s soundtrack is not the sound and the fury one would expect from a collaboration between Gulzar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Despite appearing to be a utilitarian soundtrack for a thriller with minimal space for songs, it does have its moments."
Suanshu Khurana of The Indian Express rated three out of five and wrote: "it’s a brilliant effort. But one wishes it had more songs sand more Kashmiri influences. Buy it for Raazi, and its beautiful contours." Devansh Sharma of Firstpost summarized that "While Arijit and Sunidhi’s ‘Ae Watan’ goes all out in its patriotic overtone, songs like ‘Dilbaro’ and ‘Raazi’ look at the film through a micro lens." Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog said "For their total absence in 2017, Shankar Ehsaan Loy deliver a rich, thematic soundtrack to open 2018."

## Personnel

* Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy – music composer
* Tubby – co-producer
* Mani Mahadevan – chorus
* Ravi Mishra – chorus
* Binaya Mohanty – chorus
* Arun Kamath – chorus
* Arshad Mohammed – chorus
* Shankar Mahadevan Academy – kids chorus
* Soham Vavekar – kids vocals
* Advait Raman Shankar – kids vocals
* Tanirika Chakraborty – kids vocals
* Vasudha Tiwari – kids vocals
* Ananya Halarnkar – kids vocals
* Tejas Tambe – kids vocals
* Ghazal Javed – kids vocals
* Archana Hegdekar – kids vocals
* Satyajeet Jena – kids vocals
* Tapas Roy – rabab, dotara, mandolin, bouzouki
* Arshad Khan – esraj
* Dipesh Varma – live rhythm, percussions
* Satyajit Jamsandekar – percussions
* Shikhar Naad Qureshi – percussions
* Abhay Rumde – recording engineer (Purple Haze Studios, Mumbai)
* Sreejith Padmakumar – recording engineer (Purple Haze Studios, Mumbai)
* Vijay Benegal – mixing engineer (Sound Ideaz, Mumbai)
* Ameya Jichkar – mixing assistance (Sound Ideaz, Mumbai)
* Donal Whelan – mastering engineer (Hafod Mastering Studios, Masteringworld, London)

## Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Music Director | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Background Score | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Lyricist | Gulzar – ("Ae Watan") | Won | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Lyricist | Gulzar – ("Dilbaro") | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Male Playback Singer | Arijit Singh – ("Ae Watan") | Won | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Male Playback Singer | Shankar Mahadevan – ("Dilbaro") | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Female Playback Singer | Harshdeep Kaur and Vibha Saraf – ("Dilbaro") | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| Filmfare Awards | 23 March 2019 | Best Female Playback Singer | Sunidhi Chauhan – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [12] [13] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 18 September 2019 | Best Music Director | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Nominated | [14] [15] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 18 September 2019 | Best Lyricist | Gulzar – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [14] [15] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 18 September 2019 | Best Male Playback Singer | Arijit Singh – ("Ae Watan") | Won | [14] [15] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 18 September 2019 | Best Female Playback Singer | Harshdeep Kaur and Vibha Saraf – ("Dilbaro") | Won | [14] [15] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 18 September 2019 | Best Female Playback Singer | Sunidhi Chauhan – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [14] [15] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Lyricist of The Year | Gulzar – ("Ae Watan") | Won | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Lyricist of The Year | Gulzar – ("Dilbaro") | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Song of The Year | "Dilbaro" | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Song of The Year | "Ae Watan" | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Album of The Year | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Gulzar and Allama Iqbal | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Male Vocalist of The Year | Arijit Singh – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Female Vocalist of The Year | Harshdeep Kaur – ("Dilbaro") | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Female Vocalist of The Year | Sunidhi Chauhan – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Best Background Score | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and Tubby | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| Mirchi Music Awards | 16 February 2019 | Listeners' Choice Album of the Year | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Gulzar and Allama Iqbal | Nominated | [16] [17] |
| News18 Reel Movie Awards | 26 March 2019 | Best Lyricist | Gulzar – ("Ae Watan") | Won | |
| News18 Reel Movie Awards | 26 March 2019 | Best Female Playback Singer | Harshdeep Kaur and Vibha Saraf – ("Dilbaro") | Won | |
| Screen Awards | 16 December 2018 | Best Male Playback Singer | Arijit Singh – ("Ae Watan") | Won | [19] [20] [21] |
| Screen Awards | 16 December 2018 | Best Female Playback Singer | Harshdeep Kaur – ("Dilbaro") | Won | [19] [20] [21] |
| Screen Awards | 16 December 2018 | Best Lyricist | Gulzar – ("Ae Watan") | Won | [19] [20] [21] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 19 March 2019 | Best Music Director | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Nominated | [22] [23] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 19 March 2019 | Best Lyrics | Gulzar – ("Dilbaro") | Won | [22] [23] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 19 March 2019 | Best Lyrics | Gulzar – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [22] [23] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 19 March 2019 | Best Playback Singer – Male | Arijit Singh – ("Ae Watan") | Nominated | [22] [23] |
| Zee Cine Awards | 19 March 2019 | Best Playback Singer – Female | Harshdeep Kaur and Vibha Saraf – ("Dilbaro") | Won | [22] [23] |